Fairings are used to improve the aerodynamics of a vehicle and are typically added to the exterior of a vehicle to reduce drag while in motion. Fairings may be added at many locations on tractors and trailers to improve the aerodynamics of these large vehicles. In the past, fairings have been attached to the front and back of tractors as well as the front, top, bottom, and rear of the trailers. Fairings have also been placed in front of and behind the tires of a trailer to improve aerodynamics.
The wheel assemblies of trailers are also not aerodynamic and can increase the drag on the trailer when it is driven. Road debris can further collect on the underside of the trailer during transportation and result in increased aerodynamic drag. Thus it is desirable to have fairings that improve the aerodynamics of the trailer wheel assembly and the underside of the trailer.
A fairing adds weight to the trailer, which can increase the fuel consumption of the tractor. Thus, it is desirable to have a fairing that is as light as possible. There have been attempts to solve some of these issues. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,953 that issued to McErlane teaches “an airfoil or deflector panel for being mounted ahead of the rearmost set of wheels of a vehicle such as a truck or tractor-drawn trailer to direct air flow in a manner which reduces the relatively negative air pressure normally occurring behind a moving vehicle. The surface of the deflector which is presented in the direction of vehicle motion has a bilateral or compound convex curve.”
U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,541 that issued to FitzGerald teaches “an air deflector for the rear wheels of vehicles such as trucks and trailers . . . . The deflector consists of a fairing suspended beneath the truck or trailer body immediately in front of the rear wheels and extending completely across the width of the body. The surface of the fairing is curved in both a lateral and a vertical direction to deflect impinging air and entrained water or snow around or under the wheels . . . . The device is formed with a plurality of generally vertical grooves angled toward the center line of the vehicle. The grooves direct impinging air downwardly and between the rear wheels.”
U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,524 that issued to Straub teaches “a semi-truck trailer gooseneck assembly [that] comprises a single curved plate extending transversely between and beyond the twin parallel longitudinal girders to form a single lower flange. The curved plate extends from the assembly supporting the floor over the fifth wheel and connecting the king pin to the trailer. The rear portion of the curved plate extends to the horizontal flat lower flanges of the twin girders extending substantially the length of the trailer . . . . The rear corner post comprises a two piece welded assembly wherein the major section is substantially an elongated ‘S’ and the minor section ‘L’ shaped. The shapes are welded together to form a hollow center portion and a pocket portion. The ‘L’ section forms a contact for the rear door and the pocket engages the curtain to enable the curtain to be fully tightened when closed.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,536 that issued to Schwartz teaches “a belly pan, or membrane of rigid yet flexible material is of elongated shaped outline to be mounted along the bottom of tractor-trailer . . . . The belly pan is provided with a tapered front portion to be attached to the frontal portion of the trailer to the approximate location of the truck hitch. The belly pan extends rearward, under the trailer, between the rear wheels in a rectangular portion and the rearward edge is affixed to the ICC bumper of the trailer. An aerodynamic shaped deflector is attached to the frontal portion of the landing gear of the trailer and attaches to the belly pan for reducing drag between the underside of the trailer and the support beams of the landing gear. A similar aerodynamic shaped deflector is attached to the frontal portion of the ICC bumper and attached to the belly pan for reducing drag between the underside of the trailer and the beams of the ICC bumper.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,974,178 that issued to Ortega teaches “an apparatus for reducing the aerodynamic drag of a wheeled vehicle in a flow stream, the vehicle having a vehicle body and a wheel assembly supporting the vehicle body. The apparatus includes a baffle assembly adapted to be positioned upstream of the wheel assembly for deflecting airflow away from the wheel assembly so as to reduce the incident pressure on the wheel assembly.”
U.S. Pat. No. 7,093,889 that issued to Graham teaches “a device for reducing vehicle aerodynamic resistance for vehicles having a generally rectangular body disposed above rear wheels, comprising a plurality of load bearing struts attached to the bottom of the rectangular body adjacent its sides, a plurality of opposing flat sheets attached to the load bearing struts, and angled flaps attached to the lower edge of the opposing sheets defining an obtuse angle with the opposing flat sheets extending inwardly with respect to the sides of the rectangular body to a predetermined height above the ground, which, stiffen the opposing flat sheets, bend to resist damage when struck by the ground, and guide airflow around the rear wheels of the vehicle to reduce its aerodynamic resistance when moving.”
U.S. Patent Publication 20090146453 by Ortega teaches “a vehicle underbody fairing apparatus for reducing aerodynamic drag caused by a vehicle wheel assembly, by reducing the size of a recirculation zone formed under the vehicle body immediately downstream of the vehicle wheel assembly. The fairing body has a tapered aerodynamic surface that extends from a front end to a rear end of the fairing body with a substantially U-shaped cross-section that tapers in both height and width.”
U.S. Patent Publication 20110233960 by Heinz teaches a “skirt fairing formed from a deformable skin material stretched tautly over a deflectable frame is provided that is attachable to the lower edge of a trailer. The installation of the skirt fairing deflects and alters the airflow beneath the trailer by creating smooth and cohesive airflow along the side and underneath the trailer of a tractor trailer rig in a manner that improves safety and decreases fuel consumption. Further, the fairing is formed using a deformable skin and deflectable frame that prevents damage or permanent displacement of the fairing should it impact an obstruction.”
U.S. Patent Publication 20130076066 by Wong teaches “A system for managing airflow around the wheels of a vehicle, and in particular, around dual wheels of trailers typically pulled by Class 8 trucks . . . . In certain embodiments, a wedge-shaped airflow diverter is provided that reduces drag on the wheels of a trailer pulled by a truck, and thereby improves the overall efficiency of the truck-trailer combination with regard to aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.”